iPods and Property Hotspots

Insurers claim to have worked out the up and coming property hotspots in the UK by analysing sales of iPods, plasma screens and broadband connections.The research by Morethan Insurance also looks at the number of airmiles, frequency of city breaks and amount of people earning more than £27,000.

Of 35 hotspots identified, many were in traditionally upmarket London boroughs like Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea, but areas of northern cities are also becoming part of the property boom.Kingston Quay in Glasgow, Ordsall in Salford, Everton in Liverpool, the west city centre in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne and Holbeck in Leeds are all areas tipped for the top when it comes to the property market.

They say that the technique of tracking the concentration of young, affluent professionals can predict the areas which are about to enjoy a property boon as they become more desirable.

When an area sees increased ownership of iPods, broadband and people taking city breaks, it indicates the arrival of trendy professionals, whose presence signals the start of a healthy housing market.

And when people who earn more than £27,000 a year, own iPods and plasma TVs, use broadband and SkyPlus, and take city breaks and collect Air Miles, it means the area is set to become trendier and more desirable.

Peter Bolton-King, Chief Executive, National Association of Estate Agents, said: "Spotting the areas where future house price growth will occur has become the holy grail for this nation of homeowners, and one indicator is to pinpoint the areas where young affluent professionals are moving – this tends to be an early warning that previously unfashionable areas are becoming more popular.